Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 33

P O W E R

much time traveling to units far from
home,” he says.
His Schlotzsky’s is in a shopping
center near his home in Killeen, an
hour north of Austin. His Wingstop is
three doors down in the same shopping
center. The two brands (both under
the Roark umbrella) work very well
together, he says, because Schlotzsky’s
is a 70 percent daytime business, and
Wingstop is a 70 percent evening
business. He plans to open another
Schlotzsky’s co-branded with a Cinnabon (another Roark brand) later
this year in Harker Heights, three
miles down the road.
Orlando, a self-described “Air Force
brat” and youngest of four brothers,
believes he has the best of both worlds.
His first franchise experience—he and
his brother opened a pizza place that
lasted about 18 months when they
were young—came in 1999 when he
opened the 10th store in the thennew Wingstop brand.
“Everybody told me I was crazy,” he
recalls. “When we were growing up,
nobody wanted the wing—everybody
wanted the drumstick. We threw the
wings away.” Obviously, things have
changed, he says, pointing to Super
Bowl Sunday, the busiest day of the
year for his store. “Wings and sports
just go together.”

P L A Y E R S

“I love the product
and the way
the company is
set up, the way
founder Antonio
swad designed
the packaging.
It’s just meticulous,
perfect.”
Name: Jeff Orlando
TiTle: Owner
CompaNy: Wingstop &

schlotzsky’s franchises
No. of uNiTs: 1 Wingstop,
1 schlotzsky’s (opening a
schlotzsky’s/Cinnabon in 2011)
age: 47
family: Married, no children; this
year we are going to have one
and adopt one.
years iN fraNChisiNg: 12
years iN CurreNT posiTioN: 12

Orlando, who worked 10 years
as a manager for Blockbuster and
other video stores, says he signed on
with Wingstop because he loves the
simplicity of the concept. “I love the
product and the way the company
is set up, the way founder Antonio
Swad designed the packaging. It’s
just meticulous, perfect. I also really
liked the man behind the vision, and I
had a lot of confidence in him. Some
people have great concepts but they
can’t execute them. Wingstop just felt
right to me,” he says.
He opened a Wingstop in College
Station and then one in Austin, following the Wingstop philosophy of
locating units in shopping centers
with video or grocery stores because people go there several times
a week. His mother died unexpectedly the same day he opened the
Austin store, and Orlando decided
to sell the stores in outlying areas
and bring another business home to
Killeen. “My stores were 100 miles
apart, and I was already tired of the
travel. Plus, it’s a struggle to find
the right employees to leave those
businesses with,” he says.
In the process of doing his due
diligence, Orlando learned that
Schlotzsky’s had been purchased out
of bankruptcy by Bobby Cox, a major

PERSONAL
Key accomplishments: Starting my own business.
Biggest mistake: Not starting a family sooner.
Smartest mistake: When I opened Wingstop 12 years ago everyone
thought wings were a fad and said it wouldn’t work.
How do you spend a typical day? First, I drink my coffee and read
the paper. I make projections on the day’s sales using previous years’ sales
and trends for each manager. I’m on the phone a lot and stay busy running
errands, doing maintenance, etc.
Work week: My work week is seven days. Sometimes I feel like I’m
always thinking about it, and I’m physically in the stores nearly every day,
even working shifts with employees and filling in when needed.
Favorite fun activities: Golf. I need to start playing again.
Exercise/workout: Three days a week with a trainer.
Favorite tech toys: None. You know how some people are high-tech and

some are low-tech? I’m more like no-tech.
What are you reading? Mostly newspapers and business magazines.
I miss reading books, though. I’m actually thinking about the Nook or the
Kindle. It would be so easy not to have to go to the bookstore anymore, and
I could always have lots to read with me at all times.
Do you have a favorite quote/advice? Organize, simplify, delegate,
and verify.
Best advice you ever got: Go with what you know, don’t worry about
what anyone else thinks.
Formative influences/events: My Dad. He is my hero.
How do you balance life and work? I am actually out of balance—
too much about work. That’s where family will come in now. We would like
to have a baby and adopt one a little older. Since I’m “old,” this would give
us a head start.

Multi-unit Franchisee Iss u e II, 2011

31